Learning the Truth
by mikamikaluv
Summary: While searching for Horcruxes, the Golden Trio gets a little insight on the mysterious Elric brothers and their past. A rewrite of my old story.
1. Chapter 1

"What is your problem Ron? Why are you getting upset?" asked Harry.

"My problem? My problem is the fact that you have no idea what you're doing! We've been out here for God knows how long, and we haven't gotten any closer to finding the next Horcrux than we are to destroying the one we already have!" shouted Ron, standing up.

"Well, what did you expect? Did you think we'd be finding a Horcrux every other day? Did you think you'd be back to Mummy by Christmas?" Anger was coming to Harry's defense now.

"We thought you knew what you were doing! We thought Dumbledore had told you what to do-"

"Ron, please, take off the locket," Hermione said, her voice unusually high. "You wouldn't be behaving like this if you hadn't been wearing it all day."

"Yes he would, you don't think I haven't guessed what you two were talking about behind my back?"

"Harry, we weren't-"

"I understand where you guys are coming from. I hate being out here just-" Harry started, trying to explain.

"No! You don't understand Harry! You have NO family! They're dead!" Ron stated, starting towards the other boy.

"Both of you! Stop it!" a body forced itself in between the two, effectivly stopping the advance they had started on each other. "You're behaving like children!"

"Al. Get. Out. Of. My. Way." Harry growled out, ready to force him out the way if needed. Nobody said that about his parent's, especially his so-called 'best friend'.

"No. Listen to me Harry. Ron. Both of you, sit down." The glare Al gave them both shocked them. Of course they had seen Al get angry before, but he had never been angry at them.

"Why do you both insist on acting like three year olds whenever something doesn't go your way? Don't you understand how easy you've got it? No. Don't say anything," he added when he saw them both about to protest. "You're lucky Ed wasn't in here to hear you both start arguing just now. Compared to what we've been through, this little 'asignment' is cake."

"Why do you always inturrupt us Al? It's not like you would understand what we've been through. You only just showed up here two years ago!" Ron exclaimed. The glare Al sent his way could've killed someone, he was that angry.

"You just wait 'till Edward gets back. He'll explain EVERYTHING to you. Then maybe you'll realize exactly how I can understand what you're going through," Al stated, then turned on his heel and walked out the door. He couldn't stand being in there with the three of them anymore. He stomped to the nearest tree, and sat down underneath, resting his head upon his folded knees.

He wasn't sure how long he sat there for, but when he finally looked up, it was because of the sound of footsteps coming towards him. Preparing himself for the worst, he stood up quickly and grabbed his wand. Just because the wards were up, didn't mean they were completely out of danger.

"Woah there, Al. Is someone a little paranoid?" The footsteps had belonged to Edward, who gave a small smile when he saw his younger brother underneath the tree.

"Oh, hey Ed," said Al, ignoring the question and pocketing his wand. "Find anything edible for dinner?"

"Actually ya. There was a river nearby, so I decided to go fishing," he said proudly, showing his prize to Al. There in his hands, were five fish, already skinned and ready to be cooked. "What are you doing out here anyways?"

"Ron and Harry got into an argument. Ron said Harry doesn't know what it's like being away from family, since his parent's are dead. They were about to fight, I jumped in, stopped them, then forced them to sit down. Told them they were acting like children, and then they claimed that you and I have no idea what they have gone through, since we basically just got here two years ago," Al explained.

"...You told them I would explain about our past, didn't you?" Edward asked, after a moment of silence. He knew his brother all to well.

"Brother I was angry!" Al defended. "I said the first thing that came to my mind! And besides, if we can trust them enough to help them with their problem, don't you think we can trust them enough to let them know our past? Even if it's just a little bit?"

"Fine, I'll tell them. But not everything. Just the basics, ok? Now help me get these ready to cook," Edward said, motioning for them to go back.

* * *

><p>The air was thick with tension. Both Harry and Ron were glaring at each other, and Hermione was sitting on the sides, looking sort of lost. Only Hermione looked up when they entered, and she thanked them both silently with her eyes. She had never been good with friend's fights, instead choosing to stick to the sidelines until they worked it out themselves, so when she was left alone with her two best friends, she was at a loss as to what to do.<p>

"Al, do you want to get started on cooking the fish?" Edward asked, walking to place the fish over on the table. "I've got a story to tell." That got all of their attention.

"Ron. Harry. Get over here," Edward ordered, smirking when the did so, a small look of fear on their faces. "Hermione, you too. Now Ron, I heard that you think me and Al don't understand what you guys have been through."

"Isn't that true though? I bet you two have never been through half the crap we've been through-"

"Where did you get that idea from? Do you have any idea what our past has been like? No. You don't. So don't go and just assume things."

"What do you mean? How are we supposed to know, you never explain to us; have never old any of us what your past is like! You just assume that we'll trust you-" Harry defended.

"Would you two shut and listen!" Edward was starting to get aggitated, wanting to just give up, but he had promised Al. "I'm trying to tell you that Al and I decided we would tell you about our pasts." All three of them perked up, sitting slightly forward in their seats.

"Did Dumbledore explain anything to you three?"

Hermione answered," He just told us you two weren't from this world, and that you would explain exactly what that meant when the time was right...Does this mean you're going to explain?"

Edward ignored Hermione's question, instead starting his explanation. "Dumbledore told you we weren't of this world. What he didn't tell you is that we're of a parallel world.

I guess it would be better to start from the beginning, huh? Well, me and Al's home-country is called Amestris. We lived in a really small village, Resembool, which is sorta about the size of Hogsmeade, except more spread out. We lived there with our mother; our father had left when we younger. For a while, we were content and happy. We even learned some Alchemy from our father's old research notes.

We were happy, until _it_ came. Horrible plague; practically wiped out half the village. Our mother caught it, and hadn't told us. Even if she had, what were we supposed to do? We were just kids... She didn't want us to worry, but...when we came home one day from the market, she was there, lying on the floor, unconscious. We called the doctor, and he explained to us that she probably wouldn't make it, and we should say our goodbyes while we could. We did everything, even tried to contact our _father_...but, no help came.

The hardest part was saying goodbye. To _know_ that she was going to die, and not be able to _do anything_ about it... When she finally past away, it was so hard. We sat at her grave hours after the funeral was over, just thinking. Then I came up with a _brilliant_ idea. 'Let's bring her back!' I told Al.

We both had read in our father's research about a special Alchemy: Human Transmutation. It was rumored to be able to revive the dead, but it was also strictly forbidden. I'm pretty sure there were several different laws against using it. But we were determined to get her back. I mean, wouldn't you take a chance if you could bring your parent's back Harry?"

"Well, ya, obviously," he replied hesitantly.

"Exactly. And when we saw even the slightest chance to, we took it.

We were so _stupid _though.. we thought if we had everything; the exact amount of everything, we could get her back. We even found ourselves a _teacher._ An _expert_ on alchemy. She even warned us against it; telling us if were smart, we would stay_ far away_ from that type of alchemy.

We ignored her, having complete faith in our own skills. Instead, we ended up paying a bigger price than we ever could have imagined. I lost my leg, and Al had lost his whole body. Fortunately, I was smart enough to think of a way to bring him back quickly enough. I traded my arm for his soul, and bonded him to a suit of armor.

After a few push and shoves, I finally decided I couldn't stay in a wheelchair my whole life. Instead I chose to get artificial limbs, hoping I could find a way to restore Al's body.

We had already read all of our father's research material, though, and I'm pretty sure we could repeat them from memory by now if we wanted to. The only way we could even think about getting our bodies back was the 'Philosophers Stone', which is used to amplify alchemic reactions. But of course, we needed another option other than our father's notes, so I decided to take a trip to Central, which is practically the base of our government. In Central, there is a HUGE library, full of research notes from all sorts of alchemists. Healers, fighters, builders, you name it. The only problem was that to access the library, you needed to be a part of the military.

I obviously was too young to join the military and fight in the war, _but,_ I wasn't to young to become a State Alchemist. The test was easy, really. All we had to do was show the judges what we could do, and they would decide. Since the... _incident_ back home, I no longer had any use for a circle; instead, I simply clapped my hands together. There were only a handful of people in Amestris that could use this skill, seeing as Human Transmutation was forbidden, so when I showed them, they were so impressed that a twelve-year-old boy had been able to use alchemy without a circle, that I was immediately appointed a State Alchemist.

I received a Silver Pocket-watch from my commanding officer. The watch amplified my alchemical abilities, and allowed me special privileges others did not have, since State Alchemists are the equivalent of a Major. I also received an assigned military name: the 'Fullmetal Alchemist'."

"Wait wait wait," Ron interrupted. "You're telling us that a _twelve-year-old boy_ was allowed into the _military_? And given the rank of a _Major_? Isn't there like, I don't know, some _law_ against children in the military? Don't you have to be like, sixteen or somethin'?"

"_Our_ laws are different_,_ Ron," answered Al, glaring at him. He was obviously still mad at him for earlier. "It didn't matter how old you were, if you could be used as an effective weapon, you were allowed into the military."

"How are we supposed to believe you were in the military anyway?" Ron asked, crossing his arms in a childish way, apparently not believing the two brothers. Edward, who had been pacing around the tent as he told his story, stopped, and reached into his pocket. He withdrew a silver pocket-watch, holding it out for the trio to look at. Hermione immediately grabbed the watch and began examining the engravings.

"This is your military watch?" she asked after a moment. Edward nodded in response, holding his hand out to take it back. He rarely showed the watch to anyone, so it felt awkward when it was out of his pocket. She handed it back to him after a moments hesitation, opening her mouth to ask a simple question. "Can you open it? It looks like its sealed shut..."

"It's sealed with alchemy. Only alchemists can open it...and don't ask to see the inside, because I won't show you." he added, pocketing it. "Anymore questions? Or should I continue?"

After getting the OK to continue, Edward took a seat at the table along with the rest of them. Al had finished cooking the fish, and was now handing out plates for each of them. After thanking his brother, Ed continued.

"We ran into some problems soon after that. First, the library we had originally planned to research in was burned down. That wasn't a problem after we met Scheska. Actually, Al, son't you think that Hermione and Scheska could be the doubles of each other? There both about the same when it comes to books, although, I don't think Hermione can remember _every_ book she has ever read."

Al thought about that for a moment, then nodded. "They could be, that would make sense...although, this is a big world, who can know for sure," he said, then laughed when he noticed the trio's blank stares. "Brother, I think you better explain what we're talking about. They look a bit confused."

Edward laughed, trying to come up with a good way of explaining. Finally, he decided to just come out with it, and if they didn't understand, then they didn't understand.

"You know how we explained that we are from a parallel world? Well, each person, from your world and ours, and only Truth knows how many other worlds, has a double. Sorta like twins, in a sense. Luna, she has a double in our world. Her name is Winry Rockbell, one of our closest friends. She's practically our sister. She's also the one who made my automail arm and leg. "

"Is she anything like Luna?" Harry asked.

"Oh, not even close. Winry _loves_ working on her automail, and will do _anything_ for a chance to take things apart. She also loves to use her wrench as a weapon..." he mumbled. "Al and I both ha..._had_ doubles to..."

"Had?"

"Uh, Brother would probably like to leave that subject private. You know, bad memories and such..." Al whispered to them, noticing how Ed's mood had shifted from easy-going to depressed at the mention of Alfonse. He probably still blamed himself for his death..

"Well, Hermione, you do seem like you and Scheska would be a pair. You both are HUGE bookworms...no offense," he added quickly when Hermione shot a glare at him.

"Anyways," Edward said, forcing a smile. Scheska helped us out a ton. She could remember _everything_ she had ever read. And when I say everything, I mean EVERYTHING. She rewrote a whole book, all from memory, perfectly. She got a job in the military too, just for this ability. Although, it was only rewriting the records that had been burned along with everything else."

"_See_!" Hermione exclaimed, hitting Ron on the arm. "Being a bookworm isn't a bad thing! It helped them!"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever..." Ron mumbled, rubbing his sore arm. Hermione hit _hard_. He almost felt bad for Draco, now that he was on the receiving end in one of her _light_ hits. Almost.

"The only problem was what we found from the research. We found out how to create a Philosophers Stone, but it wasn't how we expected. It was even worse than what we expected." Edward sighed, remembering the day like it was yesterday.

"...Well? It can't be that bad can it?" Harry asked after the long pause.

"Actually, it's horrible...Philosophers Stones' are made from human souls."

* * *

><p><strong>Aaaannnd~BREAK!<strong>

**So! I know that wasn't much of a cliffhanger, BUT I mostly wrote this so I could get some feedback. For those of you who have read my other one, you know that I had planned on rewriting it. What do you think now that I have? Is it better? Worse? Same? For those of you that haven't read it, what do you think? Should I even continue this? Or should I give up writing and focus on other things? LOL**

**But seriously. Review please! Other wise, I will have no way of knowing how to get better at writing! And we wouldn't want that, now would we!**

**Also, I realize that Al and Ron are OOC. I made them that way for a reason. And please do NOT think I hate Ron, just because I probably made him sound like a whiny brat in this. I actually LOVE Ron! Really, I do! **

**So, until next time. **

**~ xXDivinity16Xx ~**

**Disclaimer: I obviously don't own the amazing FMA or HP. If I did, I wouldn't be on FF. _**


	2. Chapter 2

**Authors Note: First off I would like to thank everyone who favorited the first chapter:**

**~~FullmetalWizardNerd7****~FutureAnimeArtist331****~TheHomerow****~Vendelareaderer****~Ignisha~~**

**And to those who reviewed:**

**~~Vendelareaderer~Chi-Me Renkinjustushi~Cadens Stella~~**

**You guys are awesome! 3 **

**-Please see end of chapter for the rest of AU- Thank you!**

**-_speaking in Amestrian_-**

* * *

><p><em>"Actually, it's horrible...Philosophers Stones are made from human souls."<em>

"Human souls?" gasped Hermione. "Dumbledore used human souls to-!" Ron gave her a quick jab to her stomach with his elbow, trying to shut her up before she said something stupid. The damage had already been done however, for both the Elrics were looking at the trio curiously.

"_What_ did Dumbledore do, Hermione?" Edward asked.

"It doesn't matter anymore. That was like, six years ago," Harry said quickly, trying to cover for Hermione. "Please, just continue."

"Oh, I don't think so. I would like to hear what Dumbledore was using them for," said Al, seemingly innocent. He already had a good idea what she had started to say, but would've rather of heard it from them.

"Well...it really isn't that big of a deal. It happened in our first year. Please, just drop it," Hermione pleaded, not wanting to upset them further. This statement, however, only succeeded in making them angrier.

"Just _tell_ us, Hermione." Edward growled, his eyes closing in irritation. "You know we're not going to give up, and besides, if you don't tell us, then _we_ won't tell _you_ anything else."

"..In our first year at school, we learned that Dumbledore had...had created a Philosophers stone, with his friend, Nicholas Flamel.. " Hermione started hesitantly, looking to Harry and Ron for help.

Harry noticed her silent plea, and spoke up. "Voldemort wanted it, and he manipulated one of the teachers to get it. Hermione, Ron, and me, we all tried to stop him. Although, Ron and Hermione didn't make it all the way to him..."

"Harry stopped him though!" Ron said when Harry trailed off, looking at his best friend with a somewhat proud look on his face.

"What happened to the stone?" Edward asked.

"When I woke up in the hospital wing, Dumbledore expained to me that the stone had been destroyed, claiming that it was better that no one be tempted again," Harry finished nervously, waiting for the brothers' reactions.

After a moment, Al asked, "Who did you say Dumbledore worked with? Nicholas...?"

"Nicholas Flamel. He was the original creator. Along with his wife, the stone was used to keep them immortal." Hermione answered. "Although, I think after the stone was destroyed the two of them... passed on. That's what Dumbledore told us, anyway."

_**-Edward...-**_ Alphonse started, noticing that his brother wore his 'thinking face'. **_-What are you thinking?- _**A moment passed before he answered his brother.

_**-Al, who do you know that is immortal? Who also has an immortal wife?[AN-1] And, who do you know that needs a Philosophers Stone to stay alive?-**_ Edward asked his brother. Realization dawned on Al's face when he figured it out.

"Dad..." he breathed, thinking about the possability of it being him.

"Guys, you wouldn't happen to know where we could find a picture of Nicholas, do you?" Edward asked with a sudden urgency. When no one answered, he sighed, a bit aggitated. Instead of waiting any longer, he began making his way over to Hermione's beaded bag. "Where do you keep the books?"

"Ri-Right side. Why?" Hermione answed, still a bit shocked at the sudden eagerness he seemed to have. "What are you thinking?" He didn't answer, but reached into the bag, searching for the correct book. When he brought out one, Ron surprisingly recognized it immediantly.

"You _still_ have that book? Isn't that the one from the library?" He mumbled, mostly to himself. However, Hermione seemed to have heard him, and sent an angry glare towards him.

"Of course I did. I wasn't sure what'd we need. Besides, it's not like I took it without permission, I asked Madam Pince if I could borrow it over summer break. She told me it was fine as long as I returned it," Hermione explained. "And even though I didn't return it at the beginning of the year, I _technically_ will be returning it."

"This is the book you used in your first year?" Edward asked, shoving the book towards them. "Show me the part with Nicholas." Instead of questioning him like she had originally intended to, she began searching for the pages that held the required information. It took a few minutes, but she finally found the page _requested._  
><em>Pushing<em> the open book back towards Edward, she pointed out where the small paragragh of information was, then sat back, waiting for some type of explanation.

The picture on the page was old and faded, but it was enough for the Elrics' to confirm their suspicions. The picture had long ago stopped moving, for some unknown reason, although it still showed that it was indeed Hohenheim, who was slightly different; his hair slightly longer, and age written clearly in his face. Not the physical kind, for as long as he had the philosophers stone he was immortal. No, it was his eyes that looked old, showing the wisdom and pain that he held after all of his years alive. Along side him was the one and only Dante, her face pulled into a strained smile, her eyes clearly unhappy with the situation she was in. _**[AN-2]**_

"So he was in this world longer than I thought," Edward mumbled to himself, deep in thought. His father had been there for him when he first passed through the gate, but he hadn't been able to locate him the second time when he came back with Alphonse.

A clearing of the throat brought him back to reality. The trio sat there with questioning gazes, trying to be patient as they waited for the brothers to explain. Finally, Harry spoke up.

"Did you find what you were looking for?" He asked, his voice unusually quiet. When Edward nodded, he waited a moment, giving them a chance to explain.

It took a moment, but Al finally gave them an explanation. "This...this was our father," he said, pointing to the picture. "The woman was our...step-mother, I suppose. You were correct when saying they used the philosophers stone to stay immortal, although you did get his original name wrong. That isn't really your fault though..." he trailed off, going silent one more.

"...He really was a bastard," Edward said suddenly, earning a gasp from Hermione.

"How could you say that about your dad?" She asked, shocked.

"He _ran away_, Hermione. He wasn't there when mom died. He could've helped her, but _he wasn't there_," Edward said coldly. "You know what he told me, when I found him? He told me he regretted not staying. That he wished he would've been there for us after she died, but that doesn't change the fact that he _wasn't_."

"Brother, just stop," Alphonse told him, sighing. Edward would have went on forever about their father if they would have let him. "He was okay in the end, you said so yourself. He helped you, didn't he?"

"...Well, he did help me get back to you..." he answered reluctantly, hating to admit that Al was right.

"_See_, he wasn't all bad," He replied with a small smirk.

"So, uh, now that we've established that...can we continue?" Ron asked, resting his head on his arms, getting comfortable. Edward, however, had other ideas. He stood up, and stretched his arms, before turning back to the group.

"Let's finish tomorrow, it's getting late, and we're going to need our rest," he said, earning a couple of nods in agreement. After choosing who would begin the watch that night (Al), they all said there good-nights, and slipped underneath their sleeping bags for a somewhat peaceful night.

* * *

><p><strong>Sorry for ending it so abruptly, but I didn't feel like ending it with a cliffhanger. I'll probably go back and edit later, but it's like 10:30 at night, and I'm really tired (probably my fault though...) So, Review, please. I would love you forever and beyond if you even gave me two words xD<strong>

**AN1: Technically, Dante _was_ his first wife, and she was immortal.**

**AN2: I'd like to think that she was only with him for use of the philosophers stone. And, yes, I know she wasn't originally in the anime on our side, I just thought it would make it more interesting.**

**Disclaimer: ...Do you really think I own them..?**


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